Fluff about Martin
by cautiousAlbatross
Summary: This is basically a short fluff-fic starring our favourite Captain, Martin Crieff.


Martin sighed, reluctantly leaving GERTI for another night, alone, in his attic. It was hard to believe he actually preferred spending his time with someone as irritatingly condescending as Douglas than at home. He felt so despondent as he walked home that when he spotted a dodgy-looking bar he didn't even care that he couldn't afford it - he just wanted to drown his sorrows and stay away from the dingy place he called home for as long as possible.

Entering the bar, he felt apprehensive, but, ignoring it, walked up to the counter and ordered the most inoffensive drink he could think of and hoped that he'd at least sort of fit in. Sipping the (frankly disgusting) beer, he glanced around the room at the other wretched souls who felt the need to visit a place like this. A pretty woman at the other end of the beer-sodden counter smiled slightly when he glanced at her, causing him to blush beetroot red. She laughed out loud and sauntered over to him.

"Hey," she said grinning, "What's an airline captain doing in a place like this?"

"Well, _actually_, I'm the- Wait, that's right. I am the captain."

"You _are _wearing the captain's hat, yes. Unless you borrowed it?"

"No, no, of course not. I mean, I'm the captain. Really the captain. It's just that no one ever seems to think I am."

"You must meet some very dim people, then. I'd say the hat is a pretty big giveaway."

"Haha, yes, I, well, yes, it, um, probably, er, is."

"Look at all that gold braid. Only the _captain _would dare have as much."

"Ha, yes, well, I, er, didn't ask for, um, that is, this is just the _standard _amount of gold braid, for, um, a captain."

"Of course," she said, laughing slightly.

"Yes, well, so, what's a, um, pretty, er, woman like yourself doing here? I mean, not that you shouldn't be here. I wasn't implying that, um."

"Oh, I didn't think you were _implying _anything. Apart from the fact that you're a terrible flirt."

Martin blushed again, turning a colour that clashed horribly with his hair.

"Um, I didn't mean to, er, obviously, um, well, I'm, er," he stuttered.

"It's fine," she said, smiling, "How about I buy you a drink?"

Ignoring his stuttered protests, she replaced his barely drinkable beer with a glass of something he didn't recognise but found positively delectable.

"Oh, er, thanks," he said, "I mean, I should buy _you _a drink, er, not that I'm saying it's not all right for you to buy me one just that I should also buy you one to, er, return the favour."

"It's fine," she said, grinning again, "I've got one already."

Martin sipped his drink, the blush starting to fade from his face, and looked at his companion. She was obviously nice, and untroubled by his awkward stuttering, and she was also, now he looked at her properly, really very pretty. Quite why such a woman would be interested in him was beyond his powers of comprehension.

"So, er," he said, "Um, to whom do I owe the pleasure?"

"My name's Anna," she said, smiling, "And yours?"

"Ma- Er, I mean, _Captain _Martin Crieff."

"Nice to meet you, Martin."

"Likewise," he replied, smiling awkwardly.

"So, what's it like, being a captain?"

"It's, well, I, It's pretty good. I mean, I've always wanted to be a pilot, so I'm pretty chuffed."

"You must be good. You're pretty young for an airline captain."

"I, er, well, I wouldn't say I was _that _good."

"Really? Why's that?"

"Actually, um, I'm _really _not very good. I mean, it took me seven goes to get my license and anyway our firm is really small and so we only have one other pilot, the first officer, so, it's not really that great, I mean, is it?"

He mentally cursed himself for letting slip about his slight failure as a pilot; why did he have to ruin the only thing that might actually make someone like him?

"Oh, I don't know, at least you're better than the other guy."

"Um, well, I'm not, actually, as it happens, _better _than him. I'm just, well, I'm cheaper."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, er, Carolyn - she runs the airline - she let me have the captain's job, and, well, the only catch it, that is, um, I'm not _technically _paid to do it."

"Oh, how awful. You mean you fly the plane for _free_?"

"Er, it's not really _that _bad, I mean, I get to be a pilot and that's just great and then I'm the captain... I just, well, I don't get any money for it. It's like a hobby, really."

"You must be really dedicated to flying! But how do you _eat_?"

"Oh, I've got this van, and I sort of, well, deliver stuff in it. It doesn't make much, though, but it keeps me alive. And, well, I live in the attic of this student accommodation... thing. Which is fine, fine, really fine, but they all think I'm a bit... Odd."

"How terrible," she said, softly, not looking at his eyes but staring intently at his lips. Martin inhaled sharply as she leant in, not quite believing what was happening. Could she... might she just be...?

"It's not so bad, really. I mean..." his voice trailed away as she drew even closer to him.

"Oh, you can't expect a _captain _to live like that," she said.

And then she was kissing him and Martin didn't care much about anything any more.


End file.
